Firefighter to face gun charge

A Columbia lieutenant firefighter was scheduled for a preliminary hearing today in connection with an incident last October in which he is accused of holding a gun to his girlfriend’s head.

Lt. Travis Gregory faces a felony charge of possession of a loaded firearm while intoxicated, according to Boone County court documents.

After consulting with Columbia's human resources department, the Columbia Fire Department allowed Gregory to return to active duty, according to a news release issued Monday. Batallion Chief Steven Sapp said Gregory had been off duty “for a period” after the incident, but he would not say for how long.

The news release said personnel matters are considered closed records and that “judicial resolutions will determine personnel action.”

Gregory is a 10-year veteran of the fire department, Sapp said.

A probable cause statement dated Oct. 22 said Gregory was charged with armed criminal action, first-degree domestic assault and felonious restraint. According to the statement, Gregory’s girlfriend said Gregory repeatedly pushed her, slapped her and banged her head on the floor, refusing to let her leave the residence after an argument in the early morning hours. She told police he took a loaded handgun from a nightstand, pointed it at her head and then at himself, the statement said.

Gregory and his girlfriend had been dating for 10 months before the incident, and they lived together for three months during the relationship, according to the statement. But the couple was not sharing a residence at the time, said Capt. Brad Nelson of the Columbia Police Department. There were no witnesses, Nelson said.

Gregory turned himself in the day the charges were made, Nelson said.

Assistant Prosecutor Merilee Crockett declined to talk about the case or explain the reduction from three charges to one in the case against Gregory.